[psmith2.0]

Hmmm...interesting. For all the reasons I see this not happening, I can think of just as many why it could.

The pieces all exist...wifi, iCloud, PhotoStream, solid iOS camera app, a good camera/optics already in existence, iPhoto for iOS, GPS/location services, etc.

But it's tough to imagine them breaking that out and not having all the other stuff that goes with an iPhone or iPod touch.

Would they venture into such a crowded market with a dedicated, standalone device? My gut says no...but one could lose their shirt betting against Apple the past few years.

As good as their stuff is in current form, adding things like true optical zoom, options for more storage (SD card slot so you're not locked into one size the entire time you own it), plus all the above things that are already present in this iOS cameras/software could be an appealing thing to some.

I just wonder if there would be enough of a market of people who don't already own a "good enough" iPhone 4/4s camera who'd go with one from Apple, vs. the traditional outfits?

Then again, a true modern-day digital camera sprinkled with Apple/iOS goodness could indeed be quite a draw.

Current digital cameras aren't anything special beyond their picture-taking capability. If Apple could somehow match or exceed that, and then add all the onboard retouching/correction, instant sharing/uploading (have built-in Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. share sheets), location tagging, etc. that makes using the iPhone's camera so nice...

Hmmm.

And I suppose, as with the iPad, they could offer (or include) a pay-as-you-need/cancel anytime LTE option to fully take advantage of these capabilities (instant sharing/uploading/emailing), with LTE rolling out more in the coming year(s).

Like the music player and cell phone markets, it is an area that isn't known for its simplicity or user-friendliness. Apple being Apple, they could bring all they have to this field (new auto-detection software, "smart" scene setting, the whole "tap to focus/balance" thing, etc.).

All the regular people I know (as opposed to serious, knowledgeable photographers who are going to always buy the nicer, higher-end gear and actually know how to use it) never use anything beyond the "Auto" setting on their consumer-level point-and-shoots...and it shows. If Apple could simplify all that, and somehow make it fun, and basically make it "impossible for someone to take a bad picture" (and then enjoy a bunch of features and capabilities not available on any regular digital camera), yeah...that could be something. Have everything touchable, with instant and easy-to-understand "situation settings" (sunlight, low light, cloudy day, indoors, nighttime, activity/motion, etc.) that anyone can figure out and understand.

The notion of Apple doing to the digital camera industry what they've done to music and the cellular ones is interesting.

Priced right and marketed/presented correctly (and given a suitably catchy, Applefied name - iSnap? iClick? iPic? - it could indeed be someone's dream camera.

The few times I've used a digital camera in recent years, it's so frustrating because I can't do anything with the results...can't fix anything, can't share the results, etc. I've gotten so spoiled with my iOS camera experiences, that using a normal "dumb" camera just seems like an aggravating step backwards in many ways.

It wouldn't surprise me - with their focus, and popularity, in the handheld, non-Mac market - that they could pull it off. There's really no reason they can't, as all the parts currently exist (and things that are currently lacking - optical zoom and whatever else a dedicated camera typically has over a cell phone cam - would be addressed).

The question, I suppose, isn't "could they do it?" (yes), but, rather, "would they do it?".

We've heard from both Jobs and Cook that they're as proud of the things they haven't done (and the good ideas they've said "no" to) to focus on a limited number "great things".

It comes down to how they'd view such a product. They might agree with everything I wrote above as for the reasons why they could...but if they decide it's not an area they want to wade into, despite how much sense it might make, that'll be one of those things they say "no" to.

FWIW, my gut says "no". I don't think they want to break one feature out from their existing products. I bet they'd rather continue making the cameras in their iOS devices better, and having it be part of a bigger, more complete package. That's just my honest take in it, despite all my above reasons for how it could be welcome and cool.